Mercy Trumps Justice

Ephesians 4:32

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave
you.

Jesus was asked by Peter, “how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him?” He seemed to be looking for Jesus to agree with his premise that someone can go too far in offending you so that you are free to not forgive and hold it against them forever.

Jesus probably surprised him by answering with a phrase that virtually meant, “you should forgive an infinite number of times.”

We are often like Peter because we take offense at the behavior of others and we don’t want to let go of it. We may not say anything when it happens, but we stuff it down deep inside and hold on to it.

We may eventually cut that person off from our lives because every time we see them, that same old irritation wells up, even if they asked for forgiveness.

But Jesus went on to tell Peter a parable of a man who owed his boss so much money that he could not repay it in a thousand lifetimes and yet was forgiven the entire debt because he humbled himself and asked for mercy.

When that same man encountered another who owed him a very small amount, he lashed out in anger and wanted the police to throw the offender in prison.

The amount doesn’t seem like the issue to Jesus.

When we wrong someone, we incur a debt to them. All of our sin as a grievous debt to God that leaves us owing Him more than we can repay. He would be just in condemning us.

Our verse today in Ephesians is reminding us that God has shown us mercy and we have been forgiven all that we owe because of the penalty paid by Christ on the cross.

It is through the lens of gratitude that we should now view other people, whether strangers or family members, and realize that in the same way we needed God’s mercy, so do they.

We must be kind, tenderhearted and treat them the way He has treated us.

You may feel justified in holding on to an offense. But if you have been forgiven much, you should be gracious to those who owe you.

The next time someone cuts you off on the highway or wounds you with an angry response, think of how much God has forgiven you and look at them as one who is worth Jesus dying for.